There are three primary CSS Preprocessors available in the market – LESS, SAAS and Stylus. These three are most preferred and used by programmers. The primary job of these CSS preprocessors is to make the authorization of CSS more dynamic, productive and organized. Now, our main question arises here – which of these preprocessors does the best job and offer better services? It won’t be possible to check out all the available preprocessors though. This is the reason why we are comparing only two leading and widely used CSS preprocessors in this article, i.e., LESS and SASS Development.
Different parameters are considered while comparing the LESS with Sass Development. The performance of both preprocessors on various levels is evaluated before deciding the best one out of them.
Comparison SASS Vs Less: Leading CSS Preprocessors
Installation of SASS and LESS
Installation is a pretty necessary step, and it is essential to evaluate their performance at this stage. Both LESS and Sass preprocessors are built on different platforms. Sass is running on Ruby whereas the LESS runs on JavaScript Library. So the installation procedures that are opted by both of these preprocessors are also different.
- SASS:Sass requires Ruby to work on any computer. The Mac has already pre-installed Ruby, but in Windows, the users have to install the Ruby before playing with Sass. This Sass needs to be installed with the help of command prompt or terminal. Several other GUI applications can be used, but the significant setback here is that one has to pay for them. They are not available for free.
- LESS:This is an advantage with LESS. The preprocessor is built on JavaScript and installing it is as simple as linking the JavaScript to your HTML document. There are some other GUI applications available which help in compiling LESS to CSS, and most of them are available for free.
Languages Used by SASS and LESS
All the CSS preprocessors have their language and are almost the same. Both SASS and LESS have variables in them without any significant difference. Sass defines its variables with “ $ ” sign whereas LESS represents its variables with “@” sign. These variables are used for the same function, storing the constant value.
Here are some programs that are done in both Sass and LESS:
Nesting:
nav {
margin: 50px auto 0;
width: 788px;
height: 45px;
ul {
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
}
}
This program is similar in both Sass and LESS, but the Sass can advance the program and provides an option to nest the individual properties.
Check out the below example:
nav {
margin: 50px auto 0;
width: 788px;
height: 45px;
ul {
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
}
border: {
style: solid;
left: {
width: 4px;
color: #333333;
}
right: {
width: 2px;
color: #000000;
}
}
}
The output for this program will be
nav {
margin: 50px auto 0;
width: 788px;
height: 45px;
border-style: solid;
border-left-width: 4px;
border-left-color: #333333;
border-right-width: 2px;
border-right-color: #000000;
}
nav ul {
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
}
Providing an option to nest the individual properties is one of the most significant advantages of Sass.
Extensions Used by SASS and LESS
Both the preprocessors have extensions for easier and faster web development.
- SASS: Compass is the most critical Sass extension that is used out there. It has many Mixins which makes it easy to write the CSS3 syntax in very less time. There are so many other commendable features in Compass that have gained a lot of attention. Some of such features are Layout, Helpers, Typography, Sprite Images, and Grid Layout. It also has the config.rb file which helps in controlling the CSS output and some other preferences too. The Compass is an all-in-one extension with a plethora of features.
- LESS: Less also several extensions but none of them can offer more features like Compass. All the elements are provided with separate extensions, and independent developer builds each one of this extension. For seasoned users, this isn’t much of a problem, but the programmers who are just starting with LESS should take some time to understand and choose the right extensions to suit the workflow.
Error Notifications involved in SASS and LESS
After compiling some pages of code, a tiny bit of error somewhere can create the chaos. It is essential to get error notifications so that one can rectify the mistake. Sass lacks a lot in this error notification field. It gives the prompt information, but this notification doesn’t have a clear picture and understanding it isn’t easy. However, LESS provides a clear description of where the error is in their notification.
To Conclude:
Both of these front end development preprocessors are superior in their ways. There are some negatives as well as positives for both preprocessors and deciding the best one out of them isn’t a straightforward process.
